Volcano Guest House Eco Questionnaire

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Eco Questionnaire

NAME OF PROPERTY	Volcano Guest House
RESPONSIBLE PERSON FOR THIS APPLICATION	Bonnie Goodell
POSITION	Co-owner
ADDRESS OF PROPERTY	11-3733 Ala Ohia Street Volcano Hawaii 96785
COUNTRY	USA
PHONE NUMBER inc. area code	808 967-7775
WEBSITE	http://www.volcanoguesthouse.com
E-MAIL	innkeeper@volcanoguesthouse.com
TYPE OF PROPERTY	Bed and Breakfast cottages and apartments
NUMBER OF ROOMS	5
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GUESTS	25
ECO-CERTIFICATION(s)	Hawaii Ecotourism Association
ECO AWARDS

GENERAL ECO INFO

Do you have an environmental and/or social sustainability policy Yes

If yes, please attach.

Do you have an environmental Management System NO

If yes, please attach.

Brief Description of property – aim, size, facilities (150 words max)

Six acre rainforest, sustainable village project, in the works for 30 years since we homesteaded in 1978. We do rainforest maintenance to protect and enhance the 90 % endemic forest, while aiming for mixed sustainable farming with coffee, tea, small animals, fruits and veggies, fish/duck ponds.

Brief description of location (100 words max)

Volcano, Hawaii, just outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. About three miles from the current eruption vent, uphill, at 3,500 feet elevation. About 1/2 hour from Hilo.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION / CONSERVATION

ENERGY

Do you use any renewable energy? YES

If yes, what approximate percentage and please describe

Yes, our energy bill per guest is about 50% of other B&Bs. Line dried linens, solar hot water, low impact lighting.

Please describe any energy saving devices in use, and energy saving programmes you have, and how can guests/visitors participate

See our policy statement. Guest must turn on the electric hot water backup and decide to turn on heaters and dehumidifiers. We encourage guests to use our clotheslines.

GARDENS – ORGANIC FOOD – RECYCLING-CHEMICALS

If you have gardens, please describe any organic or chemical farming practices.

We use mostly organic systems, and are working at permaculture style systems, but we do use herbicides, just as the national park does, to reverse the spread of noxious alien weeds in the native forest.

Do you have a purchasing policy - local/organic/good practice/fair trade or any other? YES

If yes, please describe or attach?

Local produce. Moving to local coffee and tea, then our own coffee and tea and milk and eggs. Our ultimate goal is tp provide breakfast mostly from our own 6 acres.

Please describe any composting or recycling programmes, and how, if possible, guests/visitors are encouraged to participate.

Compost and container recycling for everyone – see policy.

CHEMICALS AND CLEANING PRODUCTS

Approximately, what percentage of cleaning products used are chemical, and what percentage bio degradable; please describe

Some of each. Simple Green, borax, etc., shifting from bleach to meleleuca as much as possible in this moldy environment.

WATER

Please describe your water supply, and any water conservation programmes, and how, if possible, guests/visitors are encouraged to participate.

Rainwater catchment system, fromour roof. We have 45,000 gallons of storage, with a pump. Guests are invited to see the system at work. During droughts, guests are asked to conserve.

Please describe your water purification and waste water treatment systems.

UV treatment system, so no chemicals at all for water. Grandfathered cesspools, over 3000’ of layers of cracked basalt and charcoal between us and the water table. We cannot legally do alternative systems, but we are working on it.

FLORA AND FAUNA CONSERVATION / PRESERVATION

Describe any flora or fauna conservation/projects you are involved in and how you encourage your guests to participate?

We maintain the native forest. This means removing ginger and old pasture grass, as well as Himalayan raspberry and myrica faya. We are almost through with our pig fence to protect our forest from pigs. Guests can help remove weeds.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

Please describe what you feel is your single most important eco achievement? (200 words max).

Gradual development of sustainable farming in the rainforest, with removal of old remnant pasture grasses and replacement with native and non-seeding mixed pasture, along with small animals and crops compatible with the forest.

MONITORING / FEEDBACK / TRAINING

Please describe any staff and customer eco training/education programmes

None, except for informal tours of the property.

Please describe any materials you have to educate your guests (brochures, posters, pamphlets, etc.)?

A whole lending library on the front porch that is well-used.

Please describe how you monitor, maintain, and/or minimise your environmental impact?

I guess that would be our electric bill and the number of noxious weeds per acre, which is a lot of work.

Do you get customer feedback? YES / NO

If yes, please describe how you collect the feedback, and what you do with it.

We ask people and then we try to respond to their needs at this point.

LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

What percentage of your staff are local nationals? All

Please describe what you do to minimise your negative impacts on the local community, and any cultural awareness, community activities or local sponsorships programmes, and any other ways you try to ensure the local community benefit from your business.

We try to educate the other B&Bs about sustainable practices if they are interested.

If you have a green / eco certification label, please give details and explain:

your reasons for joining the scheme
The benefits you feel you receive
Any other positive or negative points

If you do not have a green certification / label, please explain

Your reasons for NOT joining any schemes,
Any benefits you feel you are missing,
Anything else.

Member Hawaii Ecotourism Association

Anything else you feel is relevant or important.

See us at hawaiiecotousim.org. No local government org. except for planning and zoning.

Please provide as much documentary evidence as possible.
Please provide 2 references, preferably one from the local or national government tourist authority or a registered NGO (Non-profit Non Governmental Organization) locally, and the other from your certification scheme if you are in one.

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